Susan C. Taylor

One of Dr. Susan Charlene Taylor’s favorite sayings comes from Maya Angelou: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” This is apropos for the magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A.-Biology) and graduate of Harvard Medical School. “I love dermatology because you can see and touch the problem, not imagine it,” she says. “I also like the diversity of problems that I treat—from acne to skin cancer—and also the surgical and cosmetic aspects of my field.”

Taylor runs her own dermatology practice in Philadelphia and is also director of the Skin of Color Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City, which she helped create with one of her former professors. In 1999, the two developed the idea of a center that would address the unique dermatological needs of patients of African-American, Hispanic Indian, and Asian descent. “The center is the first of its kind in the world, so when I started it, there was no prototype to follow,” says Taylor, who is board certified in both internal medicine and dermatology.

Taylor also teaches dermatology at medical schools in the two states. She also sits on several boards, including one for her alma mater.

Last year she published Brown Skin: Dr. Susan Taylor’s Prescription for Flawless Skin, Hair and Nails (Amistad Press, $24.95). “Writing the book has been a rewarding experience and another major step in my personal development,” says Taylor, who is a frequent guest on television talk shows and news broadcasts.

She is a trustee of several academic institutions and of United Way of Eastern Pennsylvania.

So how does she do it all? “My secrets: I am organized, efficient and get a lot of work done in a very short period of time,” she explains. “I also have a wonderful support system, which includes a terrific and supportive husband!”